Several forms of surgical tool are pneumatic devices that are operated by a flow of pressurized gas. Many hospitals have a piped in supply of compressed nitrogen gas but often the performance of pneumatic tools is adversely affected by inadequate pressure in the piping system of such gas supplies. Consequently, it is often necessary or at least advisable to have bottled gas available in the operating room or the like.
The bottles or gas cylinders are bulky and are formed of thick metal as sizable pressures of the order of 2750 psi for example, must be contained. This makes the gas cylinders heavy and difficult to carry. The cylinders also have a narrow, elongated configuration and thus cannot safely be rested on a floor or other surface in an upright position unless some additional support is provided.
These problems have heretofore been addressed by strapping the gas cylinder to a cart like carrier. Prior carriers of this kind have an open framework of tubular members that form a cradle for receiving the gas cylinder, the cradle and thus the cylinder being in an inclined orientation. Wheels at the underside of the carrier frame enable movement of the cylinder from one location to another and also continue to support the cylinder when it is at rest including at times when it is in use.
The prior carriers serve to support a gas cylinder and facilitate movement of the cylinder but do not otherwise resolve a number of problems associated with the use of high pressure gas cylinders in an operating room or the like. The prior carriers in fact create certain problems.
The prior carriers do not provide a desirably stable support base for the cylinder. The pressure regulator and pressure gauge which are customarily attached to the outlet of the cylinder are exposed to damage. Such damage can have very undesirable consequences as an uncontrolled outflow of the high pressure gas can propel objects about the room.
The inclined orientation of the cradle and cylinder causes carriers of the above described kind to occupy an undesirable amount of space in the often crowded operating room. The problem is compounded in that it is often desired to have two or more of the carriers in the room. Two or more cylinders may be needed to provide for simultaneous gas flows at different pressures for different tools or simply to provide assurance that the gas supply will not be exhausted in the course of a surgical procedure.
The prior carriers function only as a support for a gas cylinder and are not otherwise designed to facilitate the use of pneumatic tools in surgical procedures. For example, only one gas flow at one selected pressure is is available from a single carrier itself. Pressure regulators and gauges are mounted on the cylinder itself and can be somewhat difficult to read. Cleaning the convoluted surfaces of the carrier frame and cylinder in order to provide an aseptic environment in the operating room requires an undesirable amount of effort.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.